Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to take steps to transform Andhra Pradesh (AP) into a thriving east - west freight corridor by optimising cargo handling operations across the State’s ports and making the Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam and Mulapeta ports operational at the earliest.

Observing that the conflicts in West Asia were causing disruptions at ports in Dubai and other Gulf nations, he said the east coast of India was increasingly being viewed as a safe and reliable alternative and urged officials to take advantage of the emerging opportunity.

Reviewing the progress of seaports and fishing harbours at a meeting held at the Secretariat on Monday, Mr. Naidu instructed officials to ensure that the three ports cater effectively to the hinterlands in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Karnataka. He noted that Ramayapatnam would emerge as a hub for container and bulk cargo following the establishment of the BPCL refinery.

He also said that the Railways had approved a dedicated line from Ramayapatnam to the Kadapa Steel Plant site.

Mr. Naidu suggested the development of port townships at Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam and Mulapeta to give a fillip to commerce. He also directed that the construction of fishing harbours at Budagatlapalem, Pudimadaka and Kothapatnam in the second phase be expedited.

Expressing confidence about the State’s logistics potential, the Chief Minister said that with a port or fishing harbour coming up every 50 kilometres in the near future, Andhra Pradesh would emerge as a major logistics hub.

Officials informed him that the Ramayapatnam and Machilipatnam ports were scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Special Chief Secretary (Infrastructure & Investments) M. T. Krishna Babu and A. P. Maritime Board CEO Abhishek Kumar were among those present.